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Top e-commerce trends for 2020. Adapt, engage, stay ahead

December 17, 2019

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With new technologies emerging, marketers have no choice but to adapt. Those who want to stay ahead of the game should keep an eye on how markets change. Wondering what’s coming next year? Discover below the most important e-commerce trends for 2020.

Voice search

According to some estimates, by the end of 2020 over 50% of queries will be performed via voice searches. Many experts recommend integrating a voice search feature in your online shop now. The reason is simple: websites with a voice control function will appear first in the search results of a voice request. 

Today, the accuracy of voice recognition is 95% and new technologies like Google Home or Amazon Echo are taking the market by storm. Experts estimate in a few years, even PC users will go for voice searching instead of typing. 

Automation and AI

When it comes to e-commerce, many experts agree that there are some key aspects that AI should take over. A five-star e-commerce business requires automating a variety of things including chatting with the customers, processing orders, scheduling delivery and sales or inventory management.

An online shop can earn a customer’s trust and loyalty by sending personalized welcomes and offers. This could easily be done with the help of AI.

Marketplaces are replacing search engines

In the last years, people have shifted from using “classic” search engines to marketplaces like Amazon, Alibaba, and eBay. According to a report, from 2015 to 2018, Amazon surpassed Google for product searches. 

Niche-specific businesses

General sites like Amazon, Walmart and Target have already put e-commerce to the test and demonstrated its appeal. But it’s actually niche-specific businesses and stores that are expected to make a buzz in 2020. While big online stores sell products of every category, a niche store may offer everything related to one specific category. 

A niche-specific business is a new idea bound to disrupt the current success of all-in-one stores because people will be easier to target for these new businesses. That in itself is a big plus in the digital age, but the fact is that clients may also remember effortlessly a website that is perfectly catered to serve their needs.

Video Content

We all know that content is king, but in 2020 the crown is likely to go to video content. Texts may bore potential clients, especially when it comes to product descriptions. By contrast, videos captivate clients more than any other form of content, according to a study

Video also seems to be the most enduring form of content, with 21 percent of consumers overall and 29 percent of Millennials saying it is more memorable than the others. As online stores don’t usually have a good way for the clients to properly examine products, a video may prove to be the key. While descriptions may be hard to read and even harder to remember, video content has some great benefits. It’s time effective and memorable, and it has great engagement.

Effortless checkout

With many customers ditching their carts just before checkout, online stores everywhere are forced to come up with solutions for a better checkout experience. This means that shops may have to become more sincere about their pricing and shipping costs, but also provide their clients with checkout options without creating an account.

According to a study, 53% of customers abandon their cart because they find the extra costs to be too high, while 31% say the website asked them to create a personal account. Another reason for dumping a cart before checkout seems to be even broader, as 23% of shoppers say they have abandoned their cart because they found the checkout process to be “too long/complicated.”

Image-Based Search

As audiences everywhere are increasingly more committed to social media platforms like Pinterest, Instagram, and Facebook when it comes to inspiration and advice, one of the latest trends in e-commerce is the implementation of image-based search. Online stores that have already adapted their strategies to this new trend now enjoy promising results. 

Image-based search helps potential consumers start a search using real images like snapshots or screenshots. It relies heavily on other new technologies like AI to recognize and match patterns in the provided image and deliver the best similar results.